Day +109

The doctor told me that the blood culture of blood sample taken on 23rd, January 2006 grew a type of fungus called Aspergillus. They were going to give me a type of drug called Amphoteracine B for four to six weeks. The drug could cause reactions such as chill, cold and fever. I was given a test dose in the afternoon to see if I could “tahan” (stand) the drug and I passed the test.

The first real dose of Amphoteracin B started at 8:00pm. The nurse mixed the drug in a 500ml normal saline solution. The resulting solution was yellowish in color and it was covered with a black envelop to prevent exposure to light. The solution was then administered to the patient intravenously through a flow control machine. The nurse would adjust the flow to 30ml per hour first. The speed was then gradually increased to a maximum of 100ml per hour if there was no reaction. They found out that I could tolerate the maximum speed, so it took about 5 to 6 hours to complete a dose of the drug.

The nurse gave two type of “sleeping” drugs called Pethidine and Phenergen through injection before giving Amphoteracin B. These two drugs made me relax instantly and sleep quickly. An auntie who was taking care of her daughter next to my bed told me how powerful these “sleeping” drugs are. She said a patient who received the drugs would fall to sleep before she counted to 10. One night, she complained that she could not sleep. “Ask the nurse to give you Pethidine and Phenergen and let me count for you this time.” I advised her :-)

See you next post.